Christmas Snow
by angelstryst
Summary: Complete! SD pairing be warned now A Christmas story set during Season 7. No real spoilers except for Fallen, maybe a little of the first seven seasons, nothing directly. Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

_This is my first time writing for Stargate, so please don't flame me too bad. I didn't get a chance to have this beta'd so I apologize in advance._

_This turned out being S/D, if you don't like that pairing, get out now. This is your only warning! Flames belong in the fireplace so please don't send them. Constructive criticism is always welcome however.  
_

_I was in the mood for some Christmas stuff and decided to take a stab at writing this. I hope it turned out okay. It's set during Season 7, with no real spoilers with the exception of Fallen._

_Reviews are very welcome!_

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**_Christmas Snow _**

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Sam cleaned up her desk and looked at the clock. It was 1900 hours and she was still at work on Christmas Eve. She sighed as she looked at the specs for the new drive components being installed into the Prometheus. 

Usually she felt full of Christmas cheer. For some reason, this year had felt different. Mark, his wife and their kids went to visit her parents, so she wouldn't see them until after the New Year. Her father was off, who knew where doing work for the Tok'ra. Jack and Teal'c had gone to help with some issues the rebel Jaffa were experiencing, and Janet had taken Cassie to a ski lodge for her Christmas present.

She had gone for a cup of coffee earlier and the mountain had felt like a tomb. All members that had family were with them, and the base was running on a skeleton crew. She had walked past the offices earlier and heard a few strains of Christmas songs playing, and stopped in to see Walter and Siler wearing Christmas hats and humming along to the tunes playing.

A knock at the door startled her out of her thoughts and she looked up to see a rather disheveled and dirty Daniel standing in her doorway.

"What happened?" She said getting up from her chair to see the bruise forming on the side of his face, his cheekbone was already beginning to become a bright shade of red fading into a dark purple.

He smirked slightly and allowed her to pull him into the office and sit on her chair. "That artifact that SG-8 brought back packed quite a punch."

"Are you alright? What was it? Do we need to call anyone?" Sam couldn't stop the rapid-fire questions.

He nodded and dusted himself off a little more. "It's all okay, the box was kind-of spring loaded, and I just got winged." He laughed a little sardonically then winced at the pain.

Sam got an ice pack out of her desk drawer and broke it then shook it to mix the chemicals together before handing it to him. "At least you don't need stitches. Janet's off and you don't want to have Burgen give them to you!" She added with a smile. "I think he takes pride on trying to make military guys wince and want to cry sometimes!"

He looked up at her for and she felt his cerulean eyes hold on hers for a moment before she shifted her gaze to the blossoming bruise.

"I honestly didn't think anyone else was here." He said.

Shaking her head, she paced back to her computer to put some space between them. The feeling was all too comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time. "Well I don't have anywhere to go so I figured that I would get some work done. It's not like there's ever a lack of stuff for me to do around here!"

"I know the feeling." Depression leaked ever so slightly into his tone.

Only her years of knowing him had allowed her to notice it and immediately she felt remorse. It had to be tough for him, not having any family. To top it all off, it was his first Christmas since he had returned and there was no one around for him to spend the holiday with.

"This is really going to be colorful isn't it?" Tones of sarcasm touched his voice as he repositioned the ice pack on his cheekbone and looked at his reflection in the gleaming steel of her cabinet.

Looking up at him, she couldn't help but wonder why the two of them were sitting here in her office on Christmas Eve. Why couldn't they have Christmas together? It wasn't like they really had anytime to do anything together anymore. Truth was that she missed him, maybe more then she had a right to. Suddenly that didn't matter to her.

She made a quick decision and turned off her computer and grabbed her jacket, ignoring Daniel's nonplussed expression until she was standing next to him. "C'mon we're getting out of here and going to have a Christmas Eve dinner and some Egg Nog."

"But Sam…" he started, but she cut him off.

"Don't, but Sam me. We are not going to sit here on Christmas Eve and mope around like this!"

A smile spread gingerly over his face. "I just need close up my office."

"Okay then," she looped her arm though his and walked down the hallway to his office.

She couldn't say what exactly came over her in those minutes in her office. It was as if all of the stress from the past weeks had been building until she finally felt the need for release. The fact was that she knew Daniel needed some time to relax as well.

Standing at his office door she watched as he took off his blue BDU jacket and wrinkled his nose at the dust clinging to it. A cursory glance told her that the object must have exploded in a shower of dust. It almost looked like they had used sand as a packing device.

Noticing her looking at the office he shrugged. "Maybe I should clean up a little bit?" He began to grab a broom from the corner before Sam took it from his hands and threw it back into the corner.

"No way, I promise, it will still be here when you come back to work." The grin tugging on his lips at her action was infectious and she felt herself smile in return.

They quickly changed and then headed out. Sam stopped at the mini-mart by he house and she and Daniel walked through the aisles looking at the options for drinks.

"Beer?" She asked as they looked through the glass refrigerator doors.

"I thought you said we would have Egg Nog?" The slightly distasteful look on his face as he said the words Egg Nog was enough to clue her into his thoughts of the thick and rather rich drink.

"Why don't we get some apple cider too? Do you like that?" She compromised.

"Yeah, that works." He said grabbing a bottle.

She got a bottle of Egg Nog as well and some various snack foods for later. They paid and continued on to her house where they both went in and she looked in her refrigerator for dinner while he went to the fireplace in the living room.

"How does tortellini and salad sound?" She said poking her head out and looking over to Daniel who was sitting in front of her fireplace starting to stoke the fire.

"Great. Ouch!" He shook his hand as some of the ember that was starting to ignite popped and landed on his hand.

"Daniel, do me a favor and just sit down somewhere." Exasperation leaked into her voice as she put the pot of water on the stove to boil and started pulling together the items for the salad. If he got more injured, she was going to have to confine him to her bed.

A bright flush colored her cheeks at the thought and she quickly ducked her head back into the refrigerator to avoid any detection, and had to smile at his next words.

"I'm feeling really accident prone tonight." he remarked as he walked over to her Christmas tree that was standing, but hadn't been decorated. Her eyes were drawn to the fake green plastic residing in the corner of her living room by the window to the backyard.

In truth she wasn't sure why she bothered putting it up. The boxes of ornaments were on the floor beneath it, but she just hadn't been in the mood to put them up. She had been blaming her lack of holiday spirit on the weather, it had been unseasonably warm, and it just didn't feel like the holidays to her.

Tonight had been more of the proper weather for the season. Having no snow was still a little disheartening. It had actually been cold tonight, and it almost felt good to have her heater kicking on and the fireplace's warming glow casting a dancing light.

"Sam?" Daniel's voice startled her as she was cutting the vegetables. She didn't realize that he had come to stand right next to her. She could almost feel the heat radiating from his body. And how had she not noticed how he got so close? And why was it that the faint traces of dust lingering on him still smelled great?

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to startle you. I just wanted to know if it was okay for me to use your shower." He looked apologetic but hints of a smile were tugging at the corners of his mouth.

She noticed the traces of dirt still marking his face even after he had washed it at the SGC and nodded her head. "You know where everything is. Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes."

With a quick thanks he went to her bathroom where she heard him turn the water on, and concentrated on cutting the salad. She didn't know why, but she was feeling more then friendly emotions toward him lately. Ever since they had found him on Vis Uban and he had asked her that question, she had wanted to know why. Truly, she had been too much of a coward to ask. Afraid of the repercussions of the answer, she chose to ignore the feelings that were brought to her mind by six simple words.

Finished with the salad she tossed the pasta into the boiling water and got the pesto sauce out. She had to wait for the pasta to finish so she stood against the counter and thought about her recent feelings. She had always found him attractive, and they had seemed to have an immediate bond. It seemed nothing like the one he had with Jack, but strong enough in its own way.

The water was running in the shower, and she could only force down the thoughts of him in her shower. Temptation felt like a shot from a zat. Biting her lip as she heard the water stop she busied herself with setting the table. Looking up as he walked in she couldn't help but notice the still damp hair and bruise that seemed to accentuate his eye color.

"You know, Sam…" Daniel said. "We should put up your decorations tonight."

She turned back to the pasta and drained it then put it into a bowl and mixed it with the pesto sauce, contemplating the idea. As she turned to the table she noticed that Daniel had moved the dishes into the living room and placed them on the coffee table and was checking the TV guide listings.

Placing the bowl on the coffee table she retrieved the salad bowl, set it on the table, sat on the couch and looked at him for a moment. A voice in the back of her head reminded her that getting out of the mountain had been her idea. It would be fun to have someone to help decorate the tree with, the nagging little voice in the back of her head said.

He finally turned to look at her, "Are you okay?" His eyes conveyed the sincerity of the question.

"Yeah, yeah I am." She said with happiness fluttering though her as she watched the firelight reflect off his glasses. "I think we should, decorate the tree that is."

The bruise on his face didn't stop him from cracking a large smile as he looked to the TV and said, "Look, A Christmas Story is on!"

The groan started in her stomach and reverberated all the way out of her mouth. She flopped backward on the couch. Please, anything but that!"

"I thought that was supposed to be a classic!" Daniel teased as he started eating.

"After being forced to watch that movie over and over again for five Christmas's in a row, I just can't watch it anymore!" Sam supplied as she righted herself and began to eat as well.

"Just five times?" Daniel's voice held a taunting note.

"For almost 20 hours, five times!" Sam exclaimed around a mouthful of pasta.

"Wow. I don't think that some of the torture devices on other planets are that advanced."

"It was my brother when we were younger. Dad would put it on and leave it playing when the one station did a marathon of the movie. I've been in less dire situations when I was under fire." Sam supplied as she scooped the food onto the plates.

They ate for a few moments longer seated comfortably on her couch watching the evening news. She felt comfortable sitting next to him and enjoying their meal. They ate in silence for a while, watching the stories on the new unfold before Daniel finally spoke again.

"So how do you usually decorate your tree?"

"Oh, this and that. I usually use white colored lights, but I have a string of colored ones too if you would rather use them."

"It's your tree, Sam. I just thought it would be nice, and something fun we could do. Did you have any other ideas aside from dragging me away from the mountain and feeding me?" He teased and bumped her shoulder with his.

Was it her or had he gotten closer since they started eating? Why did she suddenly seem to be able to smell him more then the food? Deciding to ignore these thoughts she contemplated his question while munching on a fork-full of salad.

"I honestly didn't have any real plans at all, but this is your first Christmas back since you ascended. I wasn't going to let you sit at home or at work feeling lonely." The answer came out more honest then she had planned.

Daniel looked at her for a moment, almost studying her, before remarking, "It's better to be lonely together then alone." He stated it as more of a fact then a question, but she couldn't help being drawn to the look in his eyes. The quizzical expression changed, rapidly replaced with a more loving one, switching to something hotter in a matter of seconds.

The heat from his eyes made her lose her voice as she felt the air become slightly charged. Blinking once she returned her vision to her plate and considered his words. Was it that she was lonely? That couldn't be the only reason for her abrupt actions, could it? No, her mind firmly stated. It was because she wanted Daniel to have a good Christmas, and she was going to be damned if they let themselves get miserable tonight.

Standing up she grabbed her plate and began to walk to the kitchen with Daniel looking after her, confused. "Sam?"

"Well, come on Daniel! We have some tree decorating to do!" Forcing down all of the feelings of the past few weeks she started putting the dishes in the dishwasher. As the perplexed archaeologist approached her she took the dishes and smiled at him. She couldn't help but notice his shiner turning a magnificent shade of blue and purple. They would have to come up with a better story to tell everyone. That thought caused a real smile that she felt she didn't have to force, and had to wonder what was going on with her emotions today.

As he placed the leftovers in her Tupperware she finished cleaning up and turned to him while drying her hands. "I decided something." She rushed before he could cut her off, "your right, I have been so wrapped up in the bad that I've forgotten the good. From here on in, we are going to set up the tree listen to Christmas music and drink some of my egg nog." The face he made was too funny and she felt the laughter bubble out of her. "What is it with you and that stuff?"

He blushed slightly, "It's kind of embarrassing."

"Daniel, I've been with you through too much for you to use that excuse." Sam countered as she put the egg nog in a sauce pan and added rum and cinnamon.

He blushed a little harder, "Okay, well when I was younger, I guess about 13, and still living at the one foster home, we had egg nog for Christmas one year. Well they had adult and kid egg nog, and well me being far more mature for my age, decided that I should have the adult's egg nog. I didn't realize that it was spiked at the time so I walked over and sat with the one girl that I liked, Sandy I think her name was." He smiled faintly at the memory.

"Wait, so no one realized that you had gotten into the adults stuff?" Sam said with some amazement as she stirred.

"No, they probably had a little too much of it themselves by that time. But anyway, I sat across from her and took a drink. It tasted horrible, and I swallowed it, trying to not let it bother me so I didn't embarrass myself. Unfortunately, Sandy wanted some too. What was I going to say? So I handed her the cup and watched as she drank a big mouthful and then swallowed it without a second thought."

Imagining the look on his face, Sam had to stifle a giggle.

"Well," Daniel said avoiding her looks as she noticed the tips of his ears turning a vivid shade of red. "She held it for a few minutes and then it came back up… and all over me."

"Holy Hannah! Daniel that is horrible!" Sam stated trying to keep the horror that was mingling with the laughter out of her voice.

"That's not the worst part." Daniel groaned, and took off his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I wound up reciprocating."

His head was now hung in shame and Sam had to turn off the burner on the stove before she pulled him into a hug. The laughter still bubbling from within her; she was pleased to feel him start to laugh along with her at the memory, and eventually they were just laughing because it felt so good. He held her tight and placed his forehead on her shoulder as she felt the mirth overtake them. They stayed like that for a long time, even after the laughter died down, and Sam couldn't help but feel comfortable in his arms.

Pulling away, she chanced a look into his eyes, without his glasses she had a clear view into his eyes and could see something change in the blue depths. Feeling the change too, he quickly released her and turned away; she did the same and poured her drink, then got him a glass for his. When she turned around, she felt slightly more composed and found him leaning against the counter behind her. She handed him his drink then grabbed his hand, and half marched, half drug him over to the tree and the boxes.

Together they began to decorate her tree. Sam had turned on some Christmas music to listen to as they worked and chatted amicably about everything and anything. They went with the colored lights and almost all of the ornaments that she had. It was amazing because the tree was transformed; it went from being a plain piece of green plastic resembling a tree to a stunning if not slightly gaudy Christmas tree.

The look on Daniel's face had made it worth while though. Usually she went for the white lights and a more traditional look, but Daniel's expression at using all of the colors quickly changed her mind. If the expression on her best friend's face was anything to go by, she could care less what the tree looked like.

After they were done they sat on the floor in front of the tree watching all of the lights blink in patterns. Sam couldn't help but notice that something was missing. She refrained from smacking herself upside the head when she realized that she was missing the star.

Scrambling to her feet she tore through the boxes.

"Sam?" He asked.

"Where is it?" She said more to herself then him. "I know it's in here somewhere!" She continued to dig around the boxes until she found a dark green one in the back. "Ah Ha!" She called triumphantly, holding it up for Daniel to see.

He laughed looking from her to the box. "You could have just asked. I put it back there earlier and forgot about it."

Mock-scowling at him she grabbed his hand and pulled him to a standing position. He stood in front of her and looked curiously at her.

"You get to put the star on the tree this year." Sam said pushing the star into his hand.

His eyes shone and he blinked a few times rapidly. His voice came out slightly broken, "Sam, no it's your tree."

She held her hand over his with the star between them. "It's ours this year."

Grasping her hand under his around the base of the star, he pulled her arm up and they both placed the star around the tree. His free arm snaked around her waist as they raised the star up and she felt herself lean into him. It felt better then she could have imagined. As they placed the star on the top she looked past the tree and out the window to see large flakes of snow falling down.

"It's snowing," her voice was almost a whisper as spoke.

Their hands were still joined around the star and as she released it and felt his hand remain with hers. As they pulled their hands down, he wrapped his arm around her again.

Resting her head on his shoulder she said softly, "let's go outside and look at it fall."

Feeling his nod of agreement on her head and a soft kiss to her hair, she was almost pained to let him go. Detaching herself from him she looked up and smiled silently thrilled to see his smile in return. With childlike glee, she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the back door.

"But Sam, we don't even have our coats!" He exclaimed as she pulled open the door and tugged his arm.

"We won't be long; I just want to see it coming down." She said looking up to the sky and feeling the happiness that accompanied the falling cold flakes.

Daniel stood behind her and looked up too. He pulled his glasses from his face and looked up to the sky with her. Their hands still joined.

"I love it when it snows." She said her voice still soft. "Even after all that time in Antarctica I just love to watch it."

Arms enveloped her from behind, and she leaned back into Daniel's embrace. "I remember how I felt when that happened." Daniel's voice was equally as soft. "We were going out of our minds trying to find you both. All I kept thinking is that if you were with me, we would have been able to figure it out so much quicker."

"That's not for sure." She said and turned in his arms, looking up into his eyes.

Serious feelings over took the moment and before she could stop herself she voiced the thought that had been bugging her all these months. "Daniel what did you mean when you asked me that question on Vis Uban?" Her voice came out soft, almost hesitant.

There was no question there in his eyes, but almost reluctant look. "I just needed to know." He said finally, his breath puffing softly across her face. She could smell the apples from the cider and her soap wafting from his skin.

Blue eyes swam deep within each other and a myriad of emotions were brewing under the surface of his. She was sure he could see them in hers as well. Softly, tentatively, he lowered his lips to hers for a moment before pulling away and trying to step back.

Ready for him to move, she held on tightly but didn't force his face back to hers.

"I-I'm sorry, S-Sam." He stammered, and she was thrown back to the over-eager man that she had first met. "I-I shouldn't h-have done t-that."

Bringing her hand forward she placed two fingers over his lips. "I didn't mind," trying to let the certainty of the moment ring true in her voice.

Gazing deeply into his eyes again, she removed her fingers and brought their lips together again in a longer, slower kiss that was both lazy and breathtaking all at once.

When they finally parted, Sam felt herself panting and saw the soft white puffs coming from both of their mouths, meeting, almost kissing each other, in mid-air.

"Thank you." She whispered as she pulled him tightly against her.

Turning his head slightly he whispered into her ear, "For what?"

"Bringing me a good Christmas memory when I thought I would have none." She responded before drawling him in for another kiss. Feeling the flakes of snow land on her face, she savored both sensations of hot and cold running riot on her skin and on her insides.

"Then I need to thank you too." He said kissing her lips once again.

Enraptured, she wasn't quite sure how she was able to speak, "For what?"

He pulled away and looked at her simply, "For giving me the best present that I've gotten in a long time."

"But I didn't get you-" Sam started before being cut off by his lips descending upon hers once more. Their fingers quested through each other's hair and over bodies, enjoying the soft moans and noises they were eliciting.

When they pulled apart again, his face was only a mere hairsbreadth away, she heard him say, "For this Sam, tonight and everything that you give to me."

She pulled him in for a deeper kiss before letting her lips leave his and trail down his face and throat whispering, "Merry Christmas Daniel, and I would like to have more like it."

Parting again he looked at her and said, "Merry Christmas, Sam. I promise that you will."

Then he proceeded to lift her up so she had to wrap her legs around his waist before heading for the door. Carrying her back inside they continued their new explorations under the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree and the soft flakes of snow that began to cover the window.

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_So what did you think?_

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	2. Chapter 2

_Okay after getting multiple reviews and requests for a second chapter I decided to try and add onto the story. I had initially intended this to be a one shot. I have to apologize if this part is crappy. I had several different ideas going through my mind and this one worked out the best. I hope that you like it. It's unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine and mine alone._

_**Side note...** This is the problem with having someone who often writes in a M rating try to delve into a T category. I tried really hard to scale stuff down, but if you get offended by non-graphic sex stuff you might want to skip the first section. I hope that it is acceptable, my apologies in advance if I messed up._

_Again, this is really my first time writing SG-1, so any constructive criticism is welcome. Please no flames. I don't do it to other writers and all I ask is the same respect. Any constructive reviews are welcome for PM's though! _

_**Thank you again to all of the lovely people who reviewed.** You really inspired me to add this chapter so this is for you. A Happy Belated Holiday gift! _

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**_Chapter 2 _**

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Daniel awoke to lips planting soft kisses up his spine and fingers spreading in almost wispy strokes across his shoulders and down his arms. He sighed comfortably into the pillow and shifted more firmly onto his stomach. Stark realization struck him as he realized that the smells were not that of his room and bed and that this feeling was not just another one of his dreams. 

As his breathing changed the kisses and the feathery touches got slightly stronger for a moment then disappeared. He turned his head toward his left, where he felt a warm soft body pressed into his side and cracked open his eyes to see a beautiful pair of blue ones staring back at him. The soft gold light filtering in from the window caused her hair to run a riot of gold surrounding her face. Slowly he turned fully onto his side and offered Sam a smile, pleased to see her answering one.

Memories of the night before filtered through his conscious… _Standing by the tree with his arms wrapped around her… Going out into the falling snow… Looking into Sam's moonlit crystal blue eyes and seeing his love and caring reflected there… Kisses starting slowly then growing with passion and intensity until they wound up on the floor in front of the tree… Skin against skin as they lay on the carpet wrapped in a throw blanket, reveling in each others warmth and passion._

Before his brain could process anything further she leaned in and kissed him, snapping his mind and body back to the present with the feeling of her pressed intimately against him. His hands touched her skin as their bodies mingled and he began to retrace the curves that until last night had only been something of his dreams.

Pulling apart from her after several heated minutes, he looked into her eyes and spoke first. "Good morning." The sleep roughened voice that came out was unintentional, but Sam didn't seem to care. In fact hers sounded almost as rough, but with a more sexy tone.

"Merry Christmas, Daniel," Sam said as she moved her hands across his chest and up to cup his face, bringing it to hers for one more slow kiss.

Parting again she giggled slightly. "If we keep this up, we'll never get out of bed!"

He had only been awake for a few moments and already his body was on fire for hers again. His hands ghosted over a sensitive area of her flesh and he felt a thrill spike through him as she let out a long moan. "This would be a problem why?" He asked as her eyes gazed into his with renewed passion and heat.

"I don't know how." She said retaking his lips and melding herself against him.

The illumination of the morning light cast an ethereal radiance upon her skin. Unable to stop himself he pulled her under him and joined their bodies with a cry of joy and pleasure. Stopping, he looked into her eyes and kissed her deeply letting his heart and soul flow through his body into hers, feeling the pounding of their hearts in sync.

When he pulled away her eyes were open and looking directly into his with a heartfelt expression before she whispered, "I know, Daniel. Me too," and urged him to continue his lovemaking to her once more.

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Sometime later when the rapture of their session started to ebb, Sam sprawled across his chest, he spoke the words that had perplexed him since the evening before.

"I never thought you would feel this way for me too." He wasn't sure if it was the right thing to have said, but he had never imagined having his feelings reciprocated in real life. He had contented himself to the dreams he had every-so-often where Sam would return his feelings and they were happy. It was not something that he ever expected to happen.

Sam propped her elbow on his ribcage and rested her head in her hand to look at him. "What do you mean?" Her voice carried curiosity and possibly a hint of hurt.

Taking a deep breath, he gazed steadily at her. "I never thought you would feel this way about me. I figured that you were interested in someone else."

He hinted to Jack, but couldn't bring himself to say the other man's name. Deep down, he always knew about the connection between the two military officers. Part of him was happy that he was with her, here and now, but a nagging voice in the back of his mind screamed for him to distance himself before he got too close and too deep in love with her to deal with losing her to his best friend.

Another part of his mind rebutted in an equally loud voice that it was too late. He had been lost since the moment her lips touched his. Without thinking things through he had jumped head-long into the cool blue water that was Major Samantha Carter, and so help him, he could drown here and be happy.

Sam's expression changed to thoughtfulness and let out a soft sigh. "I did, for a while. I have to admit that."

Daniel wasn't sure whether he could meld his body with the bed on a molecular level, but at her admission, he felt hard-pressed to try. He pulled his face away to look at the snow on the tree just outside the window, wanting to avoid her seeing the fears and sadness that would have shown through his eyes.

Her other hand came up and gently cupped his face, pulling it back to hers. "I was speaking in the past-tense, in case you didn't notice, Daniel." She smoothed her hand across his cheeks and over his brow before bringing her mouth to his softly.

He was hard pressed to ignore her gestures and words, but his self-doubt and recrimination seemed to be rooted firmly. He was pretty sure that she knew what he was thinking. They had known each other for too long for her not to have a general idea. Still, fear was gripping his insides and made him want to get up and away with the wonderful memories he had to this point. Sam's expression was the only thing that stopped him. He would take whatever it was, if only for her and her happiness.

Pulling away she looked at him again. When she spoke, conviction filled her voice. "I don't know exactly when or how it happened Daniel, but somewhere in the past seven years I realized that I think of you as more then just a friend or a brother. You have been my best friend for a long time. It was only after you asked me that question on Vis Uban that I realized what those thoughts and feelings were."

He opened his mouth to speak again, but she silenced him with a finger across his lips.

"Please just let me finish." He nodded and saw her eyes bright with tears pooling. "I know that I was feeling a lot of stuff for Jack, but I don't think we have a future together. I don't think I've ever loved him the way that I do you." She paused for a moment, looking slightly aghast at what she had said.

Taking her pause, he rolled her underneath his body and realized that his feelings weren't as one-sided as he had begun to believe.

"Sam-" He sighed but before he could continue she stopped him and spoke softly.

"I know it's really soon to have said that. I'm sorry. And Daniel, I really don't want to hear you say it now. Not because I don't think you mean it, but because I need time to adjust to it."

He nodded and rested his forehead against hers. Kissing her softly he whispered against her lips, "I do too, Sam."

She let out a sob that turned into a laugh as she brought her arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug. He returned it, savoring the warmth and strength of their embrace.

His stomach decided to announce it's presence at that point causing them both to grin at each other and laugh as he buried his head in her pillow.

She rubbed his back and pushed gently on him, "Let's go get some breakfast."

He acquiesced and rolled off of her to the side of the bed before looking around and seeing his boxers and pants lying, folded on the floor. He reached over and grabbed both of them pondering how they had made it into the bedroom last night. He knew he had been naked and wrapped in a blanket with Sam as they had run into a few walls and doorjambs making their way to her bedroom. He felt his body flush as he looked at the door and particularly remembered the long moments he spent pressing Sam to it.

"Daniel, are you coming?" Sam asked casually, shaking him out of his memories, as she walked around the end of the bed wearing nothing but the button-up that he had on over his shirt from the night before with only a few buttons in the middle done. Somehow he had never thought that shirt had looked so good.

Joining her in the kitchen a few minutes later he found his undershirt lying on the ground by the tree, but the house felt so warm he was almost more comfortable without it. Or it could have just been his hormones. Seeing Sam in nothing but his shirt he decided that he could get away with leaving his off for the moment.

Grabbing her waist from behind he pulled her close to him as she was mixing the batter for pancakes. Placing kisses along the sides of her neck, she moaned before stepping away and handing him some sausage and a knife telling him to stop or they would never eat.

Breakfast was cooked and they both sat together watching the parade on TV as they ate. He noticed that all the hesitancy from the night before seemed to be erased. Now they sat with their sides touching and sharing their meals before becoming more creative with the pancake syrup.

Lying on the floor sweating and moaning from sensations coursing through their bodies, Sam looked over to him. "We need a shower."

Daniel looked to his now syrup stained button-down that had been on Sam when he smeared the sticky sweet mess across her and followed it with his tongue. "I think this shirt is pretty much done for."

She laughed before taking it saying, "I'll clean it and keep it if you don't want it."

He mock scowled at her. "So you're using me to add to your wardrobe?"

"Hey, a girl's gotta take what she can get!" She burst off the floor and ran to the bathroom carrying the shirt.

Pulling himself up he chased her and caught her just before she shut the bathroom door. "I'm going to need a shower now too, if you remember." He said pointedly, referring to the syrup that was now in his hair, down his back and across his chest.

Opening the door she tugged his arm and pulled him into the bathroom with her.

* * *

Sam was able to procure some of her brother's old clothes that he had left at her place the last time he visited. As they sat on the couch and watched the afternoon portion of the parade Daniel let his mind drift to the events taking place and what would happen at work. 

"What's going to happen now?" He asked as she was curled into his side with her head pillowed on his shoulder.

Her mind must have been thinking along the same lines because her voice came out quiet. "I'm not sure, but whatever it is we'll work it out. I understand the need for discretion but I don't want to be denied the opportunity to see where this, us, goes."

He kissed the top of her head and murmured, "Me too, Sam. Me too."

Anything else they would say was broken by the chime of the doorbell and the arrival of Jack and Teal'c. Seeing both of them standing at her door when they weren't due back until the end of the week had been nothing short of a shock. Daniel could only thank the powers that be that both he and Sam were appropriately dressed.

"Sir, what are you guys doing here? It thought you would be in negotiations until at least the end of the week!" Sam said startled as she ushered the other two team members into the house.

Jack threw Daniel a bag full of food stuffs to take to the kitchen as he and Teal'c carried in the remainder of the bags full of presents and Jack had two cases of beer.

"Well we got done a lot, and I couldn't help but want to make sure that Danny-boy here was having a good first Christmas back!" Jack said as he entered the kitchen with Teal'c behind him carrying another bag. "We stopped by Daniel's place first, but he wasn't home so we figured we'd try your place."

Jack automatically began to make himself at home in Sam's kitchen and took out some food items from the one bag and began to spread some crackers, cheese, meats, and vegetables on a platter. "You know, Carter, it would be nice if you had something set up to eat for all of your guests. "I'm glad I know you well enough to plan in advance."

Sam scowled behind the colonial's back but said nothing. Shooting an apologetic glance at her, Daniel couldn't help but feel bad that their time had been disrupted. He was fairly certain that the remainder of the day would be lost to time spent with the team. The question that was on his mind was echoed in her look as well: _What do we tell them?_ He wished he had an answer. Shrugging his shoulders he busied himself with helping Jack and trying to defend Sam without giving too much away.

"Jack, it was just me here." Daniel said. "Besides we already ate and I wasn't hungry."

Jack waved his hand and muttered whatever before continuing to dish out the beer and snack food.

Teal'c meanwhile walked over to the Christmas tree and looked at the decorations. Sam walked over to join him, making small talk, her posture ramrod straight. Daniel knew that she was uncomfortable and unsure of how to handle this situation. In truth, neither was he. The doorbell announcing Jack and Teal'c's arrival had interrupted the impending conversation of what they were going to do about their relationship and work.

As he stood there listening to Jack babble on about ice fishing or something of the like he saw a look pass between Teal'c and Sam and had to wonder if the Jaffa knew more about what was going on then he was willing to let on. Daniel never doubted Teal'c abilities to be observant, it was more then useful in the field, but he couldn't help but think that this time it might just bite him in the ass.

The rest of the afternoon was spent talking about the negotiations with the rebel Jaffa and what was going on in general. It was pleasant, but Daniel couldn't help but feel slighted that he was no longer able to enjoy the contact with Sam that they had shared earlier in the day. He forced the feelings to the side and enjoyed himself the best he could.

Moods that were formerly tense began to relax a little, but Daniel had to constantly distance himself from Sam. Urges to touch were too hard to control if he got to close to her. Passion still fresh in his mind, he had to force himself to focus on the most mundane things to keep himself from grabbing Sam, hauling her over his shoulder, carrying her into her bedroom, locking the door, and not giving a damn about anyone else.

Sam's eyes occasionally held the same intensity, and he found himself relieved to at least have company in his misery. Not that he wanted her to be miserable, no he would go to the ends of all being if it meant her a moments bliss, but a small part of his ego felt appeased that when they had both grabbed the same bottle and she jumped like she had been zatted. Eyes connected and he saw the fire still present in hers before she quickly moved away.

Sometime later Sam had needed some more egg nog and rolls for dinner so Daniel volunteered to go. He had also wanted to stop by his house to pick up the presents that he had gotten for everyone. He was so impressed with his own fabricated story of not having them because they had originally planned to do a team party this weekend he accepted Teal'c's offer to join him before considering the repercussions. Soon they were both on their way to Daniel's house and the mini-mart.

Within two minutes of pulling away from Sam's house Teal'c's demeanor changed and he began to interrogate Daniel with nothing more then his questioning stare. Daniel tried to ignore the feeling of Teal'c's eyes boring into him. He turned on the radio and fiddled with the stations for a few minutes before he felt the crack in his sanity. Let it not be said that Teal'c had no ability to interrogate without a word, Daniel thought bitterly.

Turning the radio off, Daniel finally turned to see Teal'c facing him with a questioning stare, one eyebrow raised. Daniel had been tortured, shot, beaten, burned, and even killed, and with a simple stare, his friend almost had him cracking like an egg.

Teal'c finally spoke and Daniel could almost hear the amusement in his tone. "Is there something that you wish to inform me of DanielJackson?"

Flipping through his mental handbook of Jackism's he responded, "That your Jedi mind tricks won't work on me?" He wanted to kick himself for how weak his voice was. Somehow that had been a lot better in his head. Of course if he hadn't cowered during the delivery it might have sounded slightly more convincing.

Eyebrow raised, Teal asked, "I wish to know if there is a problem between you and MajorCarter."

In itself that question was fairly innocent. Daniel knew the truth. Teal'c wanted him to confess his sins. Only the problem was that Daniel wasn't ready to. "No, we're fine. We were just surprised to see you guys home early."

Glancing out of the corner of his eye, Daniel caught the _I know your lying_glare from Teal'c but tried to ignore it.

Teal'c didn't. "Then you must know that you and MajorCarter have been acting unusual this afternoon, and I believe that you are not telling me the entire truth of the matter, DanielJackson."

Flabbergasted, Daniel tried to ignore the feeling of a flamethrower on not only his cheeks, but his entire head. "I - I'm not sure, w - what you w - want me to say, T- Teal'c."

"I am curious if you return the emotions that MajorCarter has been feeling for you."

Vision swam for a moment and Daniel felt himself pull the car to the side of the road and stand on the breaks. Staring at the steering wheel he could only wish that the little emblem in the middle would start to spout answers. No such luck. Getting out and running sounded good until he realized that Teal'c would catch him in a heartbeat, that's if he didn't have his zat-gun on him. Sometimes he felt like a cosmic joke, a quick glance in the rearview mirror showed that Oma at least wasn't sitting in the back seat laughing at him. His focus was brought back to the situation by Teal'c's voice.

"Am I not correct in my assessment?" Teal'c said readjusting himself from the seatbelt's death-hold after Daniel's whiplash inducing stop.

"Yes," came the harshly whispered reply. He wasn't even sure that it was his voice that spoke, but there it was. The truth and his friend had gotten it out of him in less then five minutes. Wow did that make him feel a little pathetic. Followed quickly by his concern by what Teal'c might have to say about the change in feelings between two of his teammates.

Silence reigned in the car for several moments. Daniel had just collected himself enough to return his hand to the gear shift. Teal'c's larger one covered it and stopped him from putting the car in drive.

"I apologize DanielJackson. I was not trying to harm your feelings or cause you discomfort. I simply was looking after MajorCarter's well being."

Mouth frozen for a moment Daniel stared at the trees lining the road trying to focus on what Teal'c had just said. Foremost the fact that the Jaffa had just apologized. His tongue gradually loosened. "You thought I would hurt Sam?"

"No, not intentionally, I have however noticed your obliviousness to advances of the opposite sex on base and was concerned that MajorCarter would be hurt by your lack of awareness."

Collecting his thoughts for a moment, Daniel finally was able to answer with honesty. "I have felt a lot of emotions toward Sam since I met her." He paused and tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "It wasn't until I lost everything that I realized what she meant to me. I never really even thought that she would ever feel remotely the same way."

Teal'c's eyebrow raised but he said nothing.

"I think I've been in love with her for a long time." Daniel finally confessed and felt as if a weight had been lifted off of his chest.

"Then I think that you both need to find a way to be happy together." Teal'c stated simply.

Daniel's fears came to light in a soft voice. "What about the team?"

"I believe that you both hold the well being of your world and countless others in high regard. I have no doubt of your ability to perform your duties as you have done for years. Was it not you who fought Amaunet even when she held your wife?"

Thoughts of Sha're swum in Daniel's mind, and he realized that they no longer hurt as they once did. The happy moments were there along with the distressingly sad, but he still felt comfortable with the thoughts of loving Sam. He could only nod as the tide of emotions welled inside of him.

"Then I see no reason for either yourself or MajorCarter to be replaced." Teal'c said. The conviction in the larger man's voice held hope for Daniel.

Casting a small smile to his friend, he put the car in drive and continued their journey.

* * *

Returning back to Sam's house they had their team gift exchange. Daniel had found Teal'c a compendium of an African tribe that the two had researched the possibility of being a skewed forefather of the Jaffa. To Jack's delight he had received season tickets for his team's hockey games. Sam had gotten a new top-of-the line watch to replace the one he had broken two missions ago when he had borrowed it to reflect glare and had it shot by a staff blast. (Unfortunately he found that unearthly weapons were non-existent in the world of insurance and they refused to buy his story of an electrical surge.) 

Sam had gotten him an original copy of an Egyptian book that his parents had given to him as a child, but was lost when he went into the foster system. It was the first time he had allowed himself to embrace her since the arrival of Jack and Teal'c. Whispering softly in her ear that he would thank her properly later, she only blushed slightly as they parted.

Teal'c got him a mask used in ancient Jaffa ceremonies to celebrate the rebirth of life. The larger man explained that it felt only right that Daniel have it in honor of his rejoining both the living and the team.

Jack, whose gift had been saved for last, held a smile as Daniel opened the bag containing a complete collection of the History Channel's special on Ancient Lands and the ways of life. Shell-shocked as he was Daniel realized that Jack had not only given him something that he said he had been upset at missing for an uneventful mission, but that he had actually listened to what he had said.

After opening presents and looking over the gifts that everyone got they all pitched in and made a full dinner. Eating and enjoying the conversation, Daniel realized that part of his guilt and worry had been released by his talk with Teal'c. He was still nervous about being too close to Sam, but noticed that she had loosened slightly while he had been gone. Which made him wonder if she had been pinned with similar questioning.

As the evening wore on Jack and Teal'c made their goodbyes and left. Daniel told the others that he would stay to help clean up. Jack's smirk only reinforced the thought that he knew about what had happened between he and Sam.

Closing the door they watched Jack's truck pull away. Placing an arm around her waist Daniel pulled her in for a slow, languid kiss. She melted into his arms and he felt the heat from earlier returning and spreading like a wildfire.

Pulling away before he became too consumed, he allowed his mind to take control and ask, "Did you tell, Jack?"

Sighing she pulled away and walked back down the hall, not answering.

"Sam?" He followed tentatively.

Stopping in the middle of the kitchen she stared at her feet and answered. "Yeah, he thought that something was up. He did his whole word-twisting thing and cornered me into confessing."

Laughter began to bubble up and Daniel was unable to control it. Seeing Sam's perplexed expression he tried to stop it long enough to get out his words.

"We got it from both ends. Teal'c totally got me. I swear, I used to feel some pride at my ability to compose myself under duress, but he cracked me like a walnut." The laughter continued and he was happy to hear Sam's join him.

"Jack did that thing where he played dumb and kept asking stupid questions, I swear I tried to stop, but it didn't work. I'm glad that I wasn't the only one to feel the pressure and cave."

Arms came around him and he pulled the beautiful blond tightly against him before asking the fated question that was on both their minds.

"What did he say?" The only problem was that Sam had decided to ask the same question at the same time.

Smiling at each other Sam allowed Daniel to go first.

"Well it started with the Jaffa interrogation stare."

"Ouch!"

"Yeah, well then he asked if there was anything wrong between us, and I tried to deny it, but you already know that I suck at lying. So he asked me if I felt for you what you were feeling for me, and I almost drove us off the road."

"What?" Sam interrupted as she pulled back to look at him, almost to confirm to herself that it was truly him in her arms. He kissed her forehead before continuing.

"He just wanted to make sure that I wasn't oblivious to you and that I wasn't going to hurt you." Daniel saw Sam's lips quirk up in a smile before continuing. "He said that we should find a way to be happy together and he has confidence in still having us on the team." Deliberately leaving out the issue of his wife, Daniel decided that was a story for another day.

Sam's calm face gave him hope that Jack might not have condemned them as quickly as Daniel had initially thought.

She gave a nod and began. "At first he was a hard-ass." Her tone softened drastically and Daniel felt a tension mounting in his body and mirrored by the one in his arms. "Then he gave a list of Pro's and Con's before saying that we would work something out."

Somehow the event seemed massively reduced in Daniel's mind. He couldn't help but think: _that was it? _ But then again they were talking about Jack. When he wanted to talk there were days you couldn't shut him up, but then when he wanted to get to the point, it was short and sweet.

Finding his voice he finally asked, "So we're alright for now?"

"Yes, we are." She answered. Then turning her focus from his lips to his eyes she spoke in a heated voice. "I'll be even better when we can get back to what we were doing this morning. We don't have to be to work until the day after tomorrow, and I want to complete the memories of this wonderful Christmas."

Pulling his head down she kissed him. Lips met and tongues quested for a long moment, reacquainting each other with the flavors and textures of the other. Dizziness and lack of control took hold as Daniel pried himself away from Sam's exquisite mouth and traced a path down her neck running his hands under her shirt and removing her top. Clothes ghosted off of their bodies and Daniel worshipped her heart and soul before placing her on the table and delving into her body.

Snow fell in a soft blanket of cool white outside as the two lovers reveled in the warmth of each others arms and hearts.

_-Finis_

* * *

_Again thank you to all of the reviews that helped inspire this chapter. I really hope that you liked it and it was worth it. I'd love to know what you think too! _:) 


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